Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Ministers pave the way for summit of EU leaders

Several high-level meetings are planned over the next two weeks to prepare for a European Union summit on 12 February that will try to agree a response to the growing threat of terrorism.

Interior ministers are meeting in Riga, Latvia, today (29 January) to review policy options and lay the groundwork for a meeting of national leaders in Brussels on 12 February.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers will be meeting in Brussels to discuss the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. The issue of terrorism is expected to come up, given that their next meeting, scheduled for 9 February, is specifically devoted to terrorism and the threat from radicalised fighters returning to the EU from Syria.

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, yesterday (28 January) held separate meetings in Paris and Berlin with François Hollande, France’s president, and Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, as part of his preparations for the 12 February meeting, which he had initially planned to discuss economic issues and monetary union.

That will be the first EU meeting to be attended by Alexis Tsipras, the newly installed prime minister of Greece. Tusk is planning a meeting with Tsipras before the summit.

Senior EU justice and home affairs ministers are meeting with their US counterparts for a meeting in Riga on Tuesday and Wednesday (3-4 February) to prepare for a summit on global terrorism in Washington on 18 February.